Stories

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

April 2, 2017

5 Lent A

          My father lives in the house he and my mom bought about 30 years ago.  My siblings and I never lived in this house, so the house does not contain the stories of our childhood.  However, the house is decorated in what could be called “late ancestor.”  There are pieces of furniture that belonged to relatives who entered into the nearer presence of God many decades ago.  The walls are adorned with photos my parents lovingly framed of my great-grandparents and various great or great-great aunts and uncles I never knew.  So, for my sister, brother, and I, the house does contain many stories, just not about us.  My dad can tell stories for hours about Aunt Mary and Uncle Fletcher, both born in the 1880’s, in whose chair he likes to sit and read, or the escapades of his grandfather, my great grandfather, born in the 1860’s, or my grandfather who died when I was two years old.  I love listening to those stories because they tell me something of who I am as part of a family much larger than my own experience.  Through photos, stories, and even an occasional piece of furniture, I am connected with those who came before me.

          This Lent has been a time of stories for us at Christ Church.  Our Lenten Reflection booklets contain stories from many of us, and many more of us have been enriched by those reflections.  While not a lot can be said in 200 words, the reflection we read each day connects us with the person who wrote the reflection and with the God the author loves.  Our understanding of each other, our church, and most importantly our faith has been expanded by these great nuggets of theological reflection.  I believe we are more connected with each other and God through the sharing of these stories.

          We have also heard some of the most beloved stories in scripture this Lenten season.  Jesus was led into the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil, and we were reminded how we often learn more about who we are as beloved children of God when we pass through difficult times.  Nicodemus came to visit Jesus in the dark of the night time visit to where he heard the mystery of his relationship with God described with the words of childbirth.  The Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well and two people with very different experiences of the world engage each other in genuine conversation where both are renewed.  And last week, Jesus healed a man born blind, and we saw the resulting furor, calling us to look at the world with God’s eyes rather than our own.  Through these stories and their various characters, we have been able to connect with the story of Jesus and perhaps Jesus himself.

          This morning, on the last Sunday in Lent before Palm Sunday, Lazarus is raised from the dead.  With Easter two weeks away, today seems an odd day to hear about resurrection.  But from this story, I believe we connect with Jesus and his disciples in at least three ways. 

          First, when Lazarus falls ill, Mary and Martha send a message to Jesus.  While at first, we might think that they simply want Jesus to know about his friend’s illness, once Jesus arrives, we know that Mary and Martha expected Jesus to come and do something.  “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  So now it is Jesus’ fault that Lazarus is dead!  But then Martha said “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.”  But when Jesus asks that the stone be moved from the tomb, Martha objects.  “Lord, there is already a stench because he has been dead four days.”  If we ever go back and forth in our confidence in Jesus, proclaiming him the Messiah one moment and failing to trust his actions the next, we are in good, scriptural company.

          Secondly, and this is my favorite part of the story, and perhaps my favorite verse in all of scripture, when Lazarus emerges from the tomb, having been dead for four days and alive, Jesus says “Unbind him and let him go.”  Jesus has done the work of resurrection with the words “Lazarus, come out,” and one would think Jesus could do the work of unbinding Lazarus with similar words.  The strips of cloth would fall off and Lazarus would be free.  But instead, Jesus calls on others to do the work of unbinding.  Perhaps the work of unbinding is the work of Jesus’ followers.  Sometimes that unbinding is a word of comfort of support.  Sometimes unbinding takes the form of providing food to those who are hungry.  Sometimes the unbinding takes the form of creating safe space for those who are afraid.  Perhaps our work is to make sure people are actually freed by the gospel and not held hostage by bandages that keep them from living.

          Lastly, even though Lazarus was brought back from the dead after 4 days in the tomb, Lazarus’ resurrection is not like Jesus’ resurrection as Lazarus will eventually die again.  But just as Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb that held him from life, Jesus calls us out of whatever tombs hold us from living fully.  Every time we are able to step out of darkness and into light, or out of fear and into hope, or out of death of whatever sort and into life, resurrection has happened. 

          Hearing the story of Lazarus during Lent calls us to prepare to greet the Crucified and Risen One by recognizing the stories of resurrection in our own lives and the ways we are called to make resurrection real in the lives of those around us.  The stories of Scripture tell us that in the Christian life, nothing, not even resurrection, is a spectator sport.

                                                                           Amen.